Will heatwaves push European holidaymakers to ‘coolcations’?

PARIS – European holidaymakers worn down by recurrent heatwaves are currently snubbing Mediterranean destinations for northern climes in hopes of cooler temperatures, but it remains to be seen whether it is just a fad or a durable shift in the tourism market.

With temperatures in the European summer regularly climbing up towards 40 deg C, cool has become cool.

In 2026, visitors “have been telling me that they have escaped the heat in southern parts of Europe”, said Terje Viblom Pedersen, a guide who offers tours in south-eastern Sweden.

“They are just amazed” by the daytime high temperatures under 30 deg C and sea breezes, as well as the lack of crowds compared with tourist hotspots in southern Europe.

Two French tourists, Daniel and Florence Gastaldi, joined Pedersen for a tour of Stockholm’s Old Town.

“It’s good to have escaped the heatwave,” said the recently retired couple from the southern French city of Marseille.

“We’re happy to have found cooler temperatures,” they said.

The concept of “coolcations” – vacations in a cooler clime – has been gathering pace in recent years and appears to have exploded in 2026.

On the French version of Hotels.com, searches for rooms in the Danish capital of Copenhagen have jumped by 246 per cent since the first heatwave struck France in May.

Those for Dublin in Ireland have risen by 151 per cent.

The trend is not limited to France.

Jonna Robertson, a trip adviser at New York-based Fora Travel, said she had observed the phenomenon in the United States, which has also seen its share of sweltering weather.

“Oslo has seen booking growth of 154 per cent year-over-year, Helsinki 124 per cent... Those numbers tell me that travellers are actively looking beyond the traditional summer hot spots,” said the expert and founder of Coolcation Adventures.

In France, industry experts say they have seen growing popularity of mountain resorts during the summer.

“That’s because at higher altitudes there is a clear drop in temperatures in the evening and during the night, which makes the stays much more liveable,” said Jean-Pascal Chopard, head of the tourism body for the mountainous Jura region.

The South remains popular

But will this current enthusiasm actually change the geography of international tourism?

Travellers’ choices depend on a whole range of different factors, not least pricing, experts point out.

And southern Europe, which is traditionally cheaper than the north, remains at the top of the most popular destinations.

“All European countries have recorded an increase in tourist arrivals, and there is no discernible trend linked to the heat,” said Swedish professor Stefan Gossling, a tourism specialist.

“Temperature is one aspect people take into account when they go on vacation,” he told AFP.

“But there are many other elements. Italy is not Denmark in terms of culture, environment, prices. All of that means people don’t easily change destinations when they have a favourite,” he said.

Norway’s tourism promotion agency agreed.

“Our recent visitor surveys show that around one in five foreign tourists considers cooler summer temperatures to be one of the reasons for choosing Norway,” it said.

Nevertheless, “climate is only one of many factors that influence travel decisions”, it argued.

Security, nature, accessibility, air connections and exchange rates also play a role.

Furthermore, Mediterranean countries have very extensive tourism infrastructures.

Indeed, visitor numbers continue to demonstrate the importance of warm countries.

Greece, for example, had its best year ever in terms of visitor numbers in 2025, as did Spain.

In Spain, spending by domestic and foreign tourists has already risen by more than 8 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, according to data published recently by Exceltur, an organisation that brings together the main Spanish tourism companies.

Fora’s Jonna Robertson, for her part, is counting on a seasonal redistribution, with trips to hotter countries taking place in spring or autumn, in order to avoid both overtourism and exhausting temperatures. AFP